1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to support pads adhesively attachable to the underside of shipping containers to serve to palletize the container and facilitate handling of the containers as by means of fork-lift trucks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shipping containers used in industry to package and transport various products, component parts and the like frequently take the form of relatively large boxes formed of corrugated material or cardboard which are sometimes supplied in knocked-down form and assembled as required. The bottom side of such containers may be relatively weak because of the inherent nature of the box material or because the bottom side actually comprises flaps which are folded together and secured by suitable means. In any event, handling and stacking of such containers by means of fork-lift trucks is facilitated if the box is disposed on some sort of pallet. Conventional reuseable pallets made of wood or other materials are commercially available. However, such pallets must be stored before and after use and this requires considerable space. In addition, such pallets are relatively costly and deposit arrangements are sometimes required to insure their return by the customer to the supplier. Cheaper disposable pallets are available which comprise a flat sheet of corrugated material to the bottom surface of which discrete rolls of corrugated material are attached during manufacture by conventional air-drying gluing processes. Again, however, such pallets are relatively large and require an undue amount of valuable storage space prior to use. Furthermore, during the manufacture of such pallets, considerable space is required to enable the glue used to set. Heretofore, strips of wood, such as 2 .times. 4s, or other materials, have been glued directly to the bottom of previously assembled containers by means of conventional air-drying glues to provide containers having built-in pallets. However, these arrangements still have drawbacks. For example, the wood used is costly and is not ordinarily salvageable or reuseable for pallet purposes. Similarly, made-up containers having built-in pallet means require relatively costly manufacturing techniques and also require more storage space than simple conventional knockdown-type corrugated boxes or containers.
The following patents disclose the state of the art in palletized containers: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,247,810; 3,331,496; 3,398,703; 3,425,367; 3,464,371; 3,519,190; 3,605,651; 3,695,506; and 3,697,029.